General AI News

Node.js v22.18.0 LTS can run TypeScript files by default by stripping types automatically without extra setup.

The import.meta.main feature was added to ES modules so scripts can detect if they are the main module.

A new fileURLToPathBuffer API was introduced in the URL module to get file paths as buffers.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted cities the power to penalize people for sleeping outside last year.

City leaders can now use this authority to clear homeless camps.

San Francisco has been among the most aggressive in dismantling homeless encampments.

DOE efforts to prevent retirement of large fossil fuel plants could cost U.S. ratepayers about $3.1 billion annually by 2028.

Grid Strategies used a proxy cost of $89,315 per MW-year to estimate these expenses, with California facing the highest potential cost of $389 million.

DOE has issued emergency orders under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to keep plants like Michigan’s J.H. Campbell online, costing $29 million in the first 38 days.

X-CMD is a lightweight POSIX shell script that manages over 500 open source tools and extends classic commands from a single interface.

It enhances built-in commands with consistent TUI interactions for tools like ls, ps, cd, stat, path, docker, and git.

The env/pkg module offers on-demand installation of 500+ languages and tools without requiring root privileges.

The Kryptos sculpture’s secret code K4, unsolved for 35 years, is now available for purchase.

Artist Jim Sanborn likens the code’s impact to espionage, noting it has caused personal troubles.

Sanborn reports that attempted codebreakers have threatened his safety.

Multiple incursions by unknown-origin drones occurred over US and allied military bases, leading to airspace closures and security responses.

Former US government insider Brett Feddersen confirms foreign adversaries, especially China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, use drones for espionage and pattern-of-life surveillance.

Adversaries recruit or exploit unwitting US drone operators and leverage data from Chinese-manufactured drones to gather intelligence.

Flock Safety operates a private nationwide license plate tracking database of Americans’ movements accessible to police officers.

The company uses AI to analyze driving patterns and flag vehicles as “suspicious,” potentially prompting police reports without prior suspicion.

Features like Multi-State Insights, Convoy Search, and Multiple Locations Search generate new suspicions by identifying vehicle movement across states and associations.

Microwave radio relays replaced coaxial cables after WWII, enabling high-capacity long-distance telephone and television communications.

Microwave signals require direct line of sight and are vulnerable to obstacles within the Fresnel zone.

Passive microwave repeaters use flat metallic panels to reflect signals around terrain without the need for power or maintenance.

They were patient and flexible when proposing design changes.

Their code modules required minimal adjustments and no major refactors.

They consistently proved their suggestions correct over time.

Citicorp Center, opened in 1977, used an unusual design with support columns at the middle of each face and a tuned mass damper to counteract wind sway.

Structural engineer William LeMessurier discovered in 1978 that the building’s chevron exoskeleton was vulnerable to diagonal “quartering” winds and that many bolted joints lacked the necessary weld strength.

A storm strong enough to collapse the tower was estimated to occur once every 16 years if the mass damper lost power, posing a dire risk to thousands of occupants.